Live sport drives mobile video viewing

September 25, 2012

Live sports content is driving consumer mobile video viewing according to research from QuickPlay Media. A survey of UK mobile subscribers between the ages of 18-44, revealed more than half (52 per cent) of mobile video users watched at least one Olympic event on either a smartphone or tablet. Furthermore, of those who have watched a major sporting event on a mobile device, 84 per cent reported that they have increased their mobile video consumption since viewing that event; with a third consuming significantly more mobile video than before.

The survey reveals that mobile video viewing is now commonplace – with the proportion of respondents consuming television or video on a smartphone or tablet increasing to 63 per cent from 51 per cent in 2011. This growth has been facilitated by the continued increase in adoption of video friendly devices and in particular tablets. This trend shows no sign of slowing down with IDC predicting that the number of media tablets sold will rise to 106.1 million units this year, from 68.7 million in 2011.

The survey which questioned consumers about their mobile TV and video viewing habits also revealed:
– Half of respondents (50 per cent) selected Live TV – encompassing live programmes, sports and events – as the most frequently watched type of mobile video content while 40 per cent prefer to view VoD content
– 55 per cent of mobile video users reported that they view mobile video once a week or more. Of these users, 16 per cent view content every day (up from 12 per cent of users last year)
– Consumers still watch the majority of mobile video at home with 37 per cent reporting it as the primary location for viewing, followed by in between activities (25 per cent) and while commuting (20 per cent)
– During the Olympics the number of consumers watching mobile video at work doubled to 18 per cent, from 9 per cent in ‘normal’ weeks.

“These survey results are consistent with what we are seeing in our customer base: Live TV is becoming a primary driver of demand for multiscreen services,” said Wayne Purboo, CEO of QuickPlay Media. “The 2012 Olympics shattered records for mobile video viewing, and this is driving longer term consumer demand across a plethora of mobile devices. To capitalise on this demand service providers are looking for cost effective solutions that enable them to rapidly scale multiscreen services while maintaining security and quality of the consumer viewing experience. As a result we are seeing more and more companies looking to managed services as a solution to scale at speed.”

When considering which mobile TV services consumers prefer to use, there is a strong preference for those associated with a known broadcast TV provider such as BBC iPlayer or 4oD (59 per cent) with 40 per cent of respondents stating that the preference is actually due to said association. On the flip side, despite much hype in the media regarding the growth of OTT services such as that offered by Netflix and LoveFilm, they were selected by only 13 per cent of mobile video users as being their preferred mobile television service provider. This preference may be partially explained by the growing demand for Live TV as broadcasters have the licensing rights for many major live sporting events; however the free aspect is also important with 49 per cent of respondents seeing this as the key driver for choosing a mobile TV service.